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  Welcome to the world of 

moogerfooger®

 Analog Effects 

Modules. Your Model MF-107 FreqBox™ is a rugged, 

professional-quality instrument, designed to be equally at home on 

stage or in the studio.  Its great sound comes from the state-of-the-

art analog circuitry, designed and built by the folks at Moog Music 

in Asheville, NC. 

   Your MF-107 FreqBox is a direct descendent of the original 

modular Moog® synthesizers. It contains several complete 

modular synth functions: a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) 

with variable waveshape, capable of being hard synced and 

frequency modulated by the audio input, and an envelope follower 

which allows the dynamics of the input signal to modulate the 

frequency of the VCO. In addition the amplitude of the VCO is 

controlled by the dynamics of the input signal, and the VCO can 

be mixed with the audio input. All performance parameters are 

voltage-controllable, which means that you can use expression 

pedals, MIDI-to-CV converter, or any other source of control 

voltages to 'play' your MF-107. Control voltage outputs mean 

that the MF-107 can be used with other moogerfoogers or voltage 

controlled devices like the Minimoog Voyager® or Little Phatty® 

synthesizers.  

   While you can use it on the floor as a conventional effects box, 

your MF-107 FreqBox is much more versatile and its sound 

quality is higher than the single fixed function "stomp boxes" that 

you may be accustomed to. You will find that your FreqBox is a 

deep musical resource. It will give you an amazing variety of new 

sounds and will become your creative companion as you explore 

its functions. 

This manual begins with a "quick start" section that will get you 

started without reading the whole manual – certainly a new device 

must be used right away! 

Keep in mind that the MF-107 FreqBox 

is a complex device, so we recommend you read and understand 

Summary of Contents for moogerfooger MF-107 FreqBox

Page 1: ...fooger MF 107 FreqBox TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 2 Getting Started Right Away 4 Basic Applications 6 FreqBox Theory 10 FreqBoxFunctions 16 Advanced Applications 21 Technical Information 24 Limited...

Page 2: ...ith the audio input All performance parameters are voltage controllable which means that you can use expression pedals MIDI to CV converter or any other source of control voltages to play your MF 107...

Page 3: ...t the time Mark Kline Mark had brought him this same idea a week or so earlier and had already begun building a feasibility prototype I compared my sketch to the plans for the prototype Lo and behold...

Page 4: ...e or most other countries 2 Connections Connect your instrument to the FreqBox AUDIO INPUT Connect the AUDIO OUTPUT of the FreqBox to your amp Connect your Expression Pedal such as the Moog EP 1 or EP...

Page 5: ...w try turning the FM amount all the way up and turn the Sync OFF You ll get a sizzly sound that is not clearly pitched Turn the Waveform down all the way and the effect gets less sizzly As you turn th...

Page 6: ...Setup This setup is best used with an expression pedal plugged into the Freq input and clean single note lines The expression pedal can be used to sweep the frequency of the VCO slowly for slow harmon...

Page 7: ...late the frequency of the VCO using the envelope follower Hard playing causes the frequency to go up and you get more sweep of the VCO from the envelope follower This is a really good setup to use wit...

Page 8: ...balance between the instrument sound and the VCO sound Foot Theremin This is basically the same as the previous setup with the addition of an expression pedal to control the VCO frequency It s difficu...

Page 9: ...t play too hard or the gongs may sound flatulent FM sizzler This is a weird one good for otherworldly synth type sweeps An expression pedal controls the VCO frequency Try starting with the expression...

Page 10: ...really high pitched sizzly sounds in the toe position FREQBOX THEORY Fundamentals of sound Let s start with some definitions Please read this section carefully as it will help you to understand the b...

Page 11: ...octave above middle C with a mellow muted quality like a flute or a whistle A 100 Hz sine wave also sounds mellow and muted but its pitch is more than an octave below middle C VCOs The heart of the F...

Page 12: ...each harmonic decreasing by the same ratio it increases i e the 2nd harmonic is 2X the frequency of the fundamental but 1 2 the amplitude of the fundamental The rest of the harmonics continue in this...

Page 13: ...strongest as long as the Master Oscillator frequency is lower than the oscillator that is reset In fact if the Master Oscillator is much higher in frequency than the synced oscillator the synced oscil...

Page 14: ...many sidebands are audible In a system like the FreqBox where the amplitude of the Carrier is constant the number of audible sidebands are determined by the amplitude of the Modulator This means the t...

Page 15: ...your instrument the louder you play the higher the VCO frequency In the FreqBox the VCO output is sent to a VCA that is modulated by the envelope follower This allows the dynamics of your playing to c...

Page 16: ...itude of the drive output and generates a CV that goes higher as the drive output gets louder The output of the envelope follower is applied to the control input of the VCA controlling the loudness of...

Page 17: ...7 so that it will work with instrument to line level inputs The Drive control can also be turned up for overdriving the input signal The Level LED is for showing the strength of the output of the driv...

Page 18: ...ctaves higher Wave The Wave control is used to set the waveform of the VCO The legend around the control indicates approximately the locations of the waveforms The basic waveforms are triangle sawtoot...

Page 19: ...ockwise the amount of FM increases Note that because the depth of FM is also related to the strength of the drive signal that the Drive control and the dynamics of the input signal affect the depth of...

Page 20: ...zero to 5V CV signal The range of effect from a zero to 5V CV is 100 of the range of the front panel control FM Amount CV In accepts a zero to 5V CV signal The range of effect from a zero to 5V CV is...

Page 21: ...FreqBox to be too dynamically sensitive for your style of playing or too dynamically sensitive to your instrument try putting a distortion device or compressor before the FreqBox This will have the e...

Page 22: ...sparkly sounds You can easily substitute other time varying CVs such as the LFO triangle wave for further exploration of this idea PWM Figure 17 PWM Figure 16 Sample and Hold Sync This setup uses the...

Page 23: ...x VCO frequency in relation to the Voyager s Oscillator 1 Figure 18 Using the FreqBox with a Voyager VX 351 There are some technical considerations for using the FreqBox for this and similar applicati...

Page 24: ...use with the MF 107 should contain a 50KOhm or 100KOhm linear taper potentiometer which is connected from the sleeve to the ring terminals The potentiometer wiper is connected to the tip terminal The...

Page 25: ...ou must obtain prior approval and an RMA number from Moog Music before returning any product to us Wrap your MF 105 carefully and pack it with the power adaptor in its original carton The warranty wil...

Page 26: ...amount of input signal to frequency modulate the VCO LEVEL a three color LED that shows the level of the input signal BYPASS a two color indicator LED that tells whether the effect is active or bypass...

Page 27: ...2 lb SHIPPING WEIGHT 4 lb including power adaptor and instruction manual POWER REQUIREMENTS 120 volt 5W 220 volt power adaptor available on special order MOOG MUSIC Inc 2004E RIVERSIDE DRIVE ASHEVILL...

Page 28: ...28 Notes...

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